52 THE COCONUT BELT 



need being " a steady influx of enterprising 

 colonists with brains and capital." 



British India and its dependencies constitute an 

 important field for coconut enterprise. Although 

 the tree will grow as far north as Lucknow, it 

 flourishes in its most prolific effulgency on the 

 Malabar and Coromandel coasts. Years ago it 

 was estimated that the Malabar coast alone pro- 

 duced between 300,000,000 and 400,000,000 coco- 

 nuts per annum, and this region, as we have 

 already stated, is still regarded as the finest in 

 the world for coconut growing. The Coromandel 

 coast would seem to be almost equally prolific ; 

 at all events, some years ago the native State 

 of Travancore exported not less than 500,000 

 worth of coconut products. Over half a century 

 ago Travancore was said to possess about 6,000,000 

 coconut palms. A very large area of the Madras 

 Presidency is under coconut palms, and elsewhere 

 in India the tree is widely, if less systematically, 

 cultivated. 



Cochin China is very rich in coconut palms, 

 and they find a congenial home in New Caledonia, 

 especially in the north-eastern coastal region, 

 where they seem to enjoy a northern aspect. The 

 Island of Tahiti is another fertile source of coconut 

 supply, and exports millions of coconuts yearly, 

 besides large quantities of copra and other products 

 of the palm. Considerable shipments also take 



